My mother during my life has taught me kindness, love for people that are unfortunate, appreciation for nature, stewardship for our earth, to share, to play fair, to cleanup your own mess, not to hit people, to save things that you might need in the future, and to enjoy life.

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31:20

Loving our neighbors is often not easy or simple, but for the Christian it is required. Nothing can justify us if we are able to help the needy but choose not to. That’s how my mother taught me by her examples.

I remember at an early age that she would always buy yard eggs, greens or something from a very poor family that lived a few miles away from our house.  She would find a way to give them something to improve their lives in a little way.   She often befriended the person that seemed not to have lots of friends.

We visited the beach, fished, went crabbing, and just enjoyed the outdoors often.  Her love working in her yard, garden stirred in me a since for the outdoors.  She still loves working in the yard and knows she probably should not do it very much.

Mothers have historically fulfilled the primary role in the raising of children, and that is what my mother did.  She instilled in me many of the qualities that are Christian based in my up bringing.  She made sure from the earliest age on Sunday we attended church.  If you didn’t go you could not play.  As I got older I moved away from those early teaching because of intellectual society and I thought I could do it by myself.  The Psalmist writes in Psalm 71:14-18:

But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.

I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

Mothers and fathers are responsible for teaching the next generation about God. This isn’t just a temporary role, the psalmist said. It continues even when we are “old and gray.”

God has used women to help fulfill God’s purposes in the world. My mother has had a positively impacted on my life and my Christian faith.  I don’t always think I appreciate the fact that those teaching from long ago surface as I think back on my childhood.  She always had my best interest at heart.  Many times she drove me crazy with her kindness, love for the unfortunate.  Don’t get me wrong she is not a saint but I would say that many of her qualities are what make’s me who I am today.

I guess all mothers have that since within them to protect their children at all cost.  I see that in my wife’s examples with our children.  There is nothing that she would not do to make her children’s life a little better.  Sometimes, as men we can distance ourselves from that – saying that they just need to grow up.  Mothers will always be connected to that umbilical cord to each one of their children.  I think that God must be much like a mother -he wants us to be connected.

This past Sunday as I was leaving church a person coming to the 11:00 service said that we prayed for you this morning at the 8:30 service at our downtown campus.  I was a bit puzzled at first and this person could tell.  She said, “you mother asked that we pray that you would recover quickly from your kidney stone. You see she not only was praying herself she was lifting me up so that others would pray on my behalf for recovery.

Mothers and fathers are to be honored, the bible says.  What that means is that we are not to put them on a pedestal but we are to honor them by honoring God.  It means seeing them for who they are and for whom they are not.  It means to repay their love by loving God and others more that you love yourself. It also means seeing that they are taken care of to the end of their days.”

I don’t always tell her that I love her because I think she knows.  Maybe I can honor her by telling her that her life and examples are part of who I am.  Not just a genetic imprint passed on but a person that realizes that God does have the “Whole world in his hands”. She probably taught me that song.   My mother is a woman who has won respect and honor from me, not just because her own commitment to God but that a commitment is made by me to God.

-Steve Rusk

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